White matter volumes and periventricular white matter hyperintensities in aging and dementia

Abstract

Objective: To determine the relationship between MRI periventricular white matter hyperintensities, cerebral white matter volumes, neuropathologic findings, and cognitive status in aged individuals.

Background: The significance of periventricular white matter hyperintensities seen on MR images in aged individuals remains controversial. The Nun Study is a longitudinal cohort aging study in which all 678 initially enrolled participants agreed to autopsy neuropathologic examination.

Methods: We used MRI to measure white matter volumes of the cerebral hemispheres in 52 formaldehyde-fixed brains for correlation with white matter and neocortical pathology, postmortem MRI observations, and cognitive measures.

Results: Reduced white matter volume is associated with dementia, but periventricular white matter hyperintensities were not related to white matter volume, stroke, or dementia.

Conclusions: Our results do not support the hypothesis that periventricular hyperintensities seen on MR images have deleterious consequences in these aged individuals.